Monday, September 06, 2010

Marsala Pork Chops

There were many wonderful recipes in the Sicily chapter but the pork chops braised in Marsala had me at first glance. Marsala (I just read) is traditionally from western Sicily and generally thought of as a dessert wine. I find it more palatable for cooking opposed to drinking it straight out...way to sweet for my taste buds.

But the heavenly aroma of that Marsala hitting a sizzling pan of butter and mushrooms (pinching fingers together, raising them to the sky) delizioso!

I crossed regions and served a vegetable dish from Tuscany with the chops.....couldn't resist the fresh zucchini at the market.

Such natural and simple ingredients.........Olive oil, garlic and rosemary

Paired with fresh zucchini made a great side...no need to give you the recipe particulars...just chop and saute, measurements to your liking.

Here's the recipe for the Marsala chops.........on to Tuscany next! I hope you'll join me :-)

This is ever so easy…..sprinkle chops with salt and pepper. Warm the olive oil then add the chops…brown them on both sides, roughly 10 minutes per side, depending on your stove top. (My stove is awful. It doesn’t understand Low as a setting. Pathetic.)

Anyway, when they are just done, a bit pink inside when you slice in, put them aside and cover to keep warm.

Add Marsala to the pan and stir, cooking until it’s reduced. I didn’t read the directions all the way through as I was meant to do…and added the orange juice with the Marsala right away. It took longer to thicken since I’d done that but I can not say that the end result was any different.

Now you can put your chops on a plate and pour the glazed Marsala sauce over them. A sweetish blanket, coating each piece of pork. Oh my.

Thanks also for checking up on me. Yes we have had a huge earthquake here. It has been a very scary time, but thankfully we are all safe and unhurt. I've just published a new post with some more information and a few photos you might be interested in http://bit.ly/c3gP2S